News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 31
Crossing the street with school children at the Locust Street and Highway 20 intersection is a harrowing experience for Leslie Waltz, a Sisters Elementary School teacher. Waltz regularly escorts children across the crosswalk before and after school. She has been very concerned about the dangers of this intersection for some time, and it is good news from her perspective that a group of concerned parents have taken up the cause. The intersection houses the first crosswalk when... Full story
The plan for a Welcome Center at Black Butte Ranch (BBR) has bogged down in a controversy over its location on a what may be a wetland. Most maps show the surrounding area titled as Black Butte Swamp. Black Butte Ranch contends the area is not a wetland; the Army Corps of Engineers appears to disagree. A Deschutes County public hearing was held last September to address the site location for the construction of the Welcome Center and other related issues. Loy Helmly, General... Full story
Behind the powerhouse running of Cory McCaffrey and Jeff Sampson and the sticky hands of receiver Nate Jackson, the Outlaws swarmed over the Henley Hornets for a 43-12 victory in the second round of the state playoffs at home on Friday, November 17. Jeff Sampson opened the scoring for the Outlaws early in the first quarter with a four-yard touchdown (TD) run to put Sisters up 6-0. Sampson scored again on a six-yard run on Sisters' next possession. Josh Marr kicked the extra point, and the Outlaws extended their lead 13-6 to... Full story
The soaking rain Sisters has experienced for the past couple of weeks feels mighty good to McKibben Womack. The young Marine - a native of Sisters - has just returned from a 6-1/2-month tour of duty in the baking sands and concrete blast furnaces of Iraq, where temperatures soared well above 100 degrees. "145 degrees was the hottest day we had," Womack said, as a soft rain misted down. Womack was deployed with A-114 Battalion, an artillery unit reassigned to military police... Full story
The number of homeless students in Sisters schools was not included in the federally-mandated report released on Wednesday, November 15, by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) on homeless students. The reason: Sisters does not have enough homeless students to be included in state calculations. There are less than 10. Sisters School District Human Resources and Special Education Director Tim Comfort said "Every year we have a few homeless," but since the number is less than 10, they are not reported. The students are not... Full story
Two years ago George Bush, coasting on a razor-thin victory, declared that he won a mandate, that he had "earned" political capital and intended to spend it. Bankruptcy soon followed. Liberals need to avoid the same fate. Voters did not vote FOR the liberal "agenda" on November 7. Not in Oregon, not across the nation. They voted AGAINST an unholy alliance between the power of giant corporations that frequently harmed small business, corruption in the Republican party and hypocrisy of extremists on the religious right. And of... Full story
To the Editor: The Nugget's editorial last week made it pretty clear Bob Bryant and ODOT don't give a rip what the citizens of Sisters think about the highway that leads right into the heart of our town. They are in the mood to lay some asphalt and we are going to get it. If Mr. Bryant and his buddies at ODOT are so eager to lay down four lanes of pavement, why not start it east of Cloverdale Road and run it all the way past the viewpoint? That way, not only can all those people coming over from the valley get up to the 65-70... Full story
The annual holiday giving tree is up at Ray's Food Place. Patrons may take an ornament from the tree which has information (but no name) about a child in need in the community. The information includes what type of gift the child needs at Christmas time. Patrons then may purchase the gift and bring it with the identifying ornament to Sisters Fire Hall by December 16. Fire hall personnel and volunteers will wrap and distribute the gifts as part of the fire district's annual toy drive. Each year the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural... Full story
A large group of Sisters Elementary School students just ran to New York and are on their way back. That's figuratively speaking, of course. The students were honored at an all-school assembly last Friday for their participation in the school's "Run Across America" campaign. Physical education teacher Mark LaMont crafted the event from a model that is being employed by many schools throughout the United States. In a period of 16 school days, Sisters elementary students have run 3,000 miles - all the way to New York City -... Full story
The Sisters Recycling Center on Ash Street has become an eyesore, with recyclables strewn about or piled up outside packed containers. But last week it looked a whole lot better - for a little while - after members of the Sisters Middle School Roots & Shoots Club spent an afternoon cleaning it up. According to parent advisor Sue Thornton, the cleanup operation is part of a four-pronged service effort that fulfills the club's mission to serve community, humanity, the... Full story
The holidays are a very difficult time of the year for people who seek assistance from Sisters Family Access Network (FAN). FAN advocate Shawna Bell told The Nugget that in addition to food issues these people "struggle with 'I'm not going to be able to afford gifts for my children.' It's kind of a sad time for some of these families." To help those who seek FAN assistance through the season, Bell distributes bags of hygiene products such as dish, laundry and bath soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, paper towels and toilet... Full story
Black Butte Ranch (BBR) is moving and improving its housekeeping and maintenance facilities as part of a major renovation of the Ranch. The renovation includes a new Glaze Meadow recreation facility and a new Welcome Center. The maintenance facilities project on Section 5, located just outside of BBR proper, is proceeding with much fewer difficulties than the controversial Welcome Center project (see related article, page 1). Loy Helmly, General Manager of BBR, is pleased that the Section 5 project is now underway and... Full story
FishCraft, a Sisters boat manufacturer, has new owners. Todd and Kim Bell purchased the company in August, 2006, continuing the tradition that company founder Del Erlandson began in his garage. The Bells also own Smith Rock Riverboats in Redmond, and the two companies complement each other with their product lines. Both make aluminum drift boats, and FishCraft also customizes inflatable boats for fly and bait fishing. The Smith Rock line of boats is a bit more upscale, with... Full story
Sisters Elementary School plans to start having recess before the lunch break. At the school board meeting on November 13, elementary school principal Jan Silberman reported that the district's Nutrition Services Coordinator Janice Comfort suggested making this change several weeks ago. Comfort pointed out that research demonstrates that recess before lunch helps students perform better in school and eat healthier. It also promotes a calmer lunchroom atmosphere. Silberman said that after researching Comfort's suggestion, "We... Full story
• Common Threads is hosting an Aerosoles Week Sale. It begins Friday, November 24, with extended store hours Thanksgiving Weekend 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The store has a special shipment of shoes for this event and will be giving away a gift with every purchase of Aerosoles while supplies last. There will also be a drawing to win a pair of Aerosoles shoes. Refreshments will be served during the event. • The See's Candies trailer is open at Three Wind Shopping Center. The funds raised through sales of the holiday... Full story
Three new mixed-use buildings with offices on the first floor and lofts above have been approved for New Sisters Village. The development is bordered by old McKenzie Highway and Hood Avenue next to Pine Meadow Ranch. Last Thursday, developer Steve McGhehey requested a Site Design Review from the Sisters Area Planning Commissioners. They voted unanimously to approve the buildings with the condition that the architectural designs be revised to more accurately reflect Sisters Western frontier design theme. Sisters' code... Full story
The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for new members to the Board of Directors. There are a total of two directors on the chamber board. Four board members per year are elected to three-year terms. Nomination deadline is Thursday, November 30, at 5 p.m. Candidates must be a chamber member in good standing and provide a short biography to the chamber by the November 30 deadline. Board member duties include: attendance at monthly board meetings, the first Thursday of the month; participation in... Full story
Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says that, "Pandemics are global in nature, but their impact is local. When the next pandemic strikes, as it surely will, it is likely to touch the lives of every individual, family and community. Our task is to make sure that when this happens, we will be a nation prepared." In May of this year, President George W. Bush spoke about preparations for the predicted pandemic. He said, "… perhaps most important, addressing the challenge will require a... Full story
Folks in need in Sisters will benefit from a corporate drive among Deschutes County employees of AmeriTitle. The firm sponsors an annual drive among its branches. For the donation of non-perishable food items, each employee had the option of wearing his/her favorite Oregon State University Black-and-Orange or University of Oregon Green-and-Gold sweatshirt and jeans to the office. Each AmeriTitle branch collected canned food items, and on Friday employees hauled them to the... Full story
The east entrance to Sisters will soon be cleaned up and ready to bloom next summer. The Sisters Garden Club raised $4,000 to get what members call the Point Garden bordering Highway 20 in shape beginning this month. "You can see it needs a lot of weed abatement," said Sisters Garden Club president Kathy Plank. "Things just grew beyond our boundaries." The Garden Club and Sisters Kiwanis upgraded the garden across Hood Avenue last summer. Called the Log Cabin Garden, it is... Full story
Just go see "Casino Royale." It seems real. It's not just a teenage boy's fantasy of beautiful women and submarine cars or flying snowmobiles. It's not a movie about men too perfect fighting dwarf gazillionaires that want to blow up the moon so they can corner the market for green cheese. It is not a movie of gimmicks that could transform any 16- to 60-year-old into an international spy who gets to do ANYTHING he wants to ANYBODY. The new James Bond movie seems real. And it's a really good movie. Good-bye, Roger Moore.... Full story
Sisters put 16 players on all-league teams this year and 13 were first team selections. Five of the 12 first team selections on defense went to Outlaw players, including Todd Bell, Trevor Summers, Taylor Davenport, Jeff Sampson and Nate Jackson. Bell, defensive line, was a unanimous first team all Conference nose guard and the third leading tackler on the Outlaw team this year. Coach Bob Macauley said, "Todd had a tremendous season. He creates a lot of problems for other teams' centers in particular but his quickness on the... Full story
Organizers of the Sisters Starry Nights Concert Series report that while they are planning to hold the event in 2007, they are still in the process of confirming artists and performance dates. "We apologize that it has taken longer than usual for things to come together this year, but I can say that it will be worth the wait once things are finalized," said event co-chair Jeri Fouts. "When we're asking such well-known and busy artists to donate their time, we have to remember how rare a gift it is for them to do a benefit... Full story
The Outlaws' Junior Varsity football team improved tremendously this year. Last year, the Outlaws only had one win to their credit; this year the squad finished with six wins and three losses. "I've got to give the kids a lot of credit," said Coach Gary Pepperling. "They practiced in the off-season, went to camp and did all the things they needed to do to get better. The thing that struck me the most about this group of guys was how well they played together as a team. They encouraged each other and did it all year long."... Full story
With frost on the ground and the sun peeking through the ponderosas, Dude Aylor of Sisters Tree led a team into the Metolius Preserve near Camp Sherman early Friday morning, November 17. The event was the ceremonial cutting of the large Grand Fir that will adorn Sisters' Barclay Park during the holiday season. The Deschutes Basin Land Trust donated the tree to the City of Sisters. The tree, which stands some 35 feet high, will be lit during a ceremony on Friday, November 24, a... Full story
